50 Years of Quaker Steak & Lube - The Original Adaptive Reuse Restaurant Chain
Events are planned this weekend at the original Quaker Steak & Lube restaurant - a repurposed gas station in Sharon, PA - to celebrate the chain's 50th anniversary
50 years of Quaker Steak & Lube is being celebrated with an event this Saturday at its original restaurant in Sharon, PA.
Which is adaptive reuse of an abandoned gas station.
The free event is set for Saturday 8/24 at 5 pm, is open to the public and includes a DJ, and of course, plenty of food.
It will be followed later that evening by an 8 pm concert headlined by Graphic Pink Band of Youngstown, OH.
Guests are also encouraged to bring photos and memorabilia that celebrate the auto-themed restaurant known for "cook-your-own" steaks, award winning chicken wings and a classic auto-themed decor highlighted by vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles.
Quaker Steak & Lube is perhaps the original adaptive reuse restaurant chain.
The Company’s first unit opened in 1974 when its founders converted an abandoned gas station in Sharon, PA into a casual dining restaurant.
They adorned the building with license plates, pictures of muscle cars and a 1936 Chevy frozen in time on an original hydraulic grease rack.
A vintage car was even dropped through the roof during construction - and which still sits just to the right of the entrance.
Quaker Steak & Lube eventually grew to 59 locations though few (if any) of the additional units were also converted gas stations.
The menu has also changed over time from cook-your-own-steaks when the first restaurant opened in the 1970s to a focus on chicken wings in recent years.
However, most restaurants still feature vintage cars, trucks and motorcycles on display — often hanging from the walls and ceilings.
Quaker Steak & Lube ultimately encountered hard times and the restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy in 2015.
It was acquired out of bankruptcy by TravelCenters of America — one of the largest operators of truck stops, travel centers and, yes, gasoline — for $25 MM.
But even a gas station-inspired restaurant chain with a gas station owner did not work for Quaker Steak.
In 2021 TravelCenters sold the chain to JDK Management, a privately held hotel and restaurant operator based in Bloomsburg, PA, for just $5 MM.
While several units have closed in recent years, Quaker Steak & Lube still operates approximately 30 restaurants across several states.
Including the original adaptive reuse gas station-turned-restaurant in Sharon, PA.
